I almost dropped the pot I was washing last night when I heard on the BBC that an elderly Paraguayan couple have finally memorialized their union in a societally-culturally-religiously dictated ceremony of matrimony. They decided to do this after 80 years of having lived together.

Oldest Couple To Wed in Paraguay, Photo Credit AFP through BBC News

At the ripe age of 103, wheelchair-bound Jose Manuel Riella, vowed his undying commitment to his long-time love, Martina Lopes, 99 years old, in a garden ceremony at their residence in Santa Rosa de Aguaray. The ceremony was reported to have been attended by their 8 children, 50 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.

The couple had a civil wedding 49 years ago but had not gotten around to the religious ceremony. The bride, who wore a long white dress, was moved by the religious blessing. The ceremony was followed by celebration at their home .

Congratulations and Best Wishes!

Fancy that! I guess one can say it’s never too late, huh! But they sure took their sweet time about it. No regrets, I hope! They might not live through a painful divorce, no pun intended there!

As The Saying Goes

There is a Filipino saying that would be quite apt for this: Huli man daw at magaling, naihahabol din! Loosely translated, it means, “Better late than never.” But of course there’s a lot that’s lost in the translation.

On Couplings and Unions

It seems that there are many aspects to the dialogue of unions and couplings that have evolved in the last 100 years. It used to be that just about every young adult aspired to one day marry and have children. It also used to be that unions were exclusively heterosexual and for most, uniracial and sanctioned by some religious organization. Nowadays, unions can be hetero- or homosexual, interracial, biracial, multiracial. Interdenominational, multi-religious, or completely non-religious (civil unions). Mostly between two consenting adults. There are also the recognized states of SBC and CBC, i.e., single-by-choice and/or childless-by-choice. Did I miss any other options?

And yet, there are still parts of the world where young children are betrothed way before they could even wrap their heads around the concept. Young women are promised and married off to men who are three to four times their age, to be their umpteenth wife, way before they are able to understand the ins and outs of relationships. These may or may not be sanctioned by a religious organization and/or a government. Or, couples are matched and meet for the first time the day before their wedding. There are still those countries where couples who have seen their relationship go south in spite of best efforts are not able to amicably walk away with the blessings of their religious affiliations and/or government.

Many things in our lives our truly amazing and at tiimes puzzling yet God’s holy word have foretold what the state of people’s union will be even to the end of time, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:36-39 KJV)” thank you for sharing this article and for the opportunity of being able to give our comment.

Being with someone should be a choice and be about love and commitment. Arrange marriage, particularly for the immature, can end to disastrous results and personally, I believe everyone is entitled to be happy, to be free, to be swept by love and all its magic. No matter how old we get, we should never loosed that amazing feeling.

It is indeed very different when we choose to be with someone. But, I have to say that we have met people who swear that they love their spouses who were chosen for them and who they met for the first time on their wedding day!